About CIES Research

About CIES Research

The research conducted through CIES analyses sport from multiple angles, with an emphasis on law, sociology and economics of sport. The projects undertaken by CIES are both part of pure and applied research. Besides on-going studies, CIES research offers the following services;

an in-house documentation centre that is open to the public. Resources are focused to the fields of sports law, sociology and economics.
publishes various academics articles and books
hosts conferences
developed various sport specific research tools, such as the Professional Football Players Observatory.
Provides funding opportunities under the Havelange Scholarship programme.

CIES has a team of in-house researchers, as well works in partnerships with universities and professors around the world to conduct research.

CIES main fields of study:

Doping and sport performance
Labour market and mobility of players
Sport, gender and social standing
Cities, stadiums and sporting infrastructure
Supporters and violence

EXAMPLES OF PAST PROJECTS INCLUDE:

Integration via football (2007)

Sport is often considered as a formidable means for social integration. However, this attribute associated with the practice of sport is only rarely seen as being a mechanism of identification with teams. The present research intends to remedy this absence by analyzing the importance of the presence, in Swiss football, of persons from migratory backgrounds among the ranks of supporters.

The central hypothesis of the project posits that numerous persons having migrated over the course of their lives find in supporterism an activity that allows them to develop a sense of belonging to a territorial collectivity that they henceforth belong. Within the perspective of this work, the negative aspects of the football stadium such as violence that can occur within are not emphasized; rather it is shown in a positive light as a laboratory for the formulation of identity expression. Thus the objective of the research is to ensure a better visibility of the potential for integration due to the emotional communion derived from supporterism, as well as furnishing clubs and public collectivities with means so as to better exploit this.

From an empirical point of view, the study derives its basis from a survey carried out among the followers of Neuchâtel Xamax.

The Federal Office for Sport Macolin funds this project within the framework of the research program “Sport and Movement 2004-2007”. It is jointly carried out by the CIES and the Institute of Geography of the University of Neuchâtel.

More information :
Raffaele Poli (raffaele.poli@unine.ch)
Roger Besson (roger.besson@unine.ch thomas.busset@unine.ch

Holiganism and right wing extremism in Switzerland (2006)

Up until recently, Switzerland has been little affected hooliganism. However, after numerous incidents have shown, it is now a problem as in other European countries. In the media these acts are often associated with right-wing extremism. Until today such statements have not received much attention in Swiss academic circles. The present work intends to fill this absence and wishes to:

• explore when, how and why and, above all, the conditions whereby an act of support for a team can lead to offensive and socially illicit acts;

• describe, understand and analyze the behavior and attitude of “at-risk” youths to establish how these beliefs and behaviors stem from extremist values or ideologies;

Funded by the Fond national de la recherché scientifique within the framework of the PNR40+(Right extremism – causes and countermeasures), the project started in March 2004 and finished in September 2006.

More information from Thomas Busset (thomas.busset@unine.ch)

THE GETULIO VARGAS FOUNDATION BECOMES THE FOURTEENTH PARTNER OF CIES

Date:

09/02/2010

The Fundacão Getulio Vargas (FGV) and CIES signed last week a partnership contract with a view to organising the FIFA/CIES Sports Management Programme in Brazil as from 2011.

New era for FIFA Master programme

Date:

08/24/2010

Having just celebrated its tenth anniversary, the FIFA Master programme, organised by the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES), is looking forward to a new era.